Former Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo has been appointed to a special Vatican commission set up by Pope Francis.

SINGAPORE: Former Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo has been appointed to a special Vatican commission set up by Pope Francis.

The move is part of efforts by Pope Francis to reform the Holy See and help it move on from a series of scandals and allegations of corruption that made the news under his predecessor Benedict XVI’s reign.

When contacted by 938LIVE, Mr Yeo said it "is too early to comment" on the appointment but he acknowledged it is "a heavy responsibility".

Mr Yeo was in politics for 23 years and has held numerous portfolios in Cabinet.

"Being a person who has so much experience in the government - especially since he was holding quite a number of portfolios, like finance, trade and industry, communications, as a foreign affairs minister - he'd be qualified to help the Church to update its areas of governance," said Singapore's Archbishop William Goh.

"Not only is he professionally qualified to help the Church, but he's also, as a person, well-respected by world leaders, including Church members as well, and even people in Singapore."

On a Facebook post, Environment and Water Resources Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan also said the Vatican couldn't have found a better man for this "sensitive and difficult task".

The commission comprises seven international lay experts and one cleric.

Other than Mr Yeo, the other lay experts in the commission are from Spain, Germany, Italy, Malta and France.

In a move which reflects on the extensiveness and depth of the commission’s task, Pope Francis has ordered all Vatican departments to collaborate with the commission and bypass usual rules that oblige officials to respect the secrecy of their office.

The commission will report directly to the Pope.

The setting up of the commission was announced in a Vatican news release on Friday.

Archbishop William Goh said the entire reform process could take years to complete, adding that the Catholic Church in Singapore is ready to offer its service and help to Mr Yeo during his appointment, if required.